


Dull Ache

by secretfeanorian



Series: We, The Voyagers [2]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 14:02:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14812763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretfeanorian/pseuds/secretfeanorian
Summary: Kei'tlya and Riv'aria have a conversation about Arcann and Kei'tlya remains frustratingly kind-hearted. (Ari loves her sister, but Kei, some people don't deserve second chances. Kei disagrees.)*insert I LIVE gif here*EDIT: This piece is no longer part of my canon, as timelines shifted after writing it and Ari isn't rescued until months after the end of Knights of the Eternal Throne, but I'm still keeping it listed in the series because it does still contain important insights into multiple characters and also I don't want to delete it.





	Dull Ache

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place in the gap between Knights of the Fallen Empire and Knights of the Eternal Throne.

The sound of footsteps startles Kei’tlya out of her reverie and she turns to see Riv’aria approaching. “Credit for your thoughts?” Her sister asks and a frustrated, scoffing huff escapes from her lips.  
  
Almost as if she’d been expecting this response, Riv’aria plops down on the rock beside her and waits. After a moment, Kei’tlya rapidly shakes her head and looks over.  
  
“Of all the things I thought I would be worrying about today over a decade ago, this is…” She draws off, pausing to gather her thoughts. “I just…” Unwilling to let her vulnerabilities out, she falls silent without finishing her thought and for a few moments, the two Sith watch the sunset in silence.  
  
Kei’tlya sighs and, unnoticed by her, Riv’aria turns her head to watch her, brow furrowed. “You keep too much in, Kei.” She finally says and Kei’tlya glances over at her.  
  
“Probably true,” She allows, but doesn’t say any more and Riv’aria rolls her eyes. “Why are you out here bothering me, anyway? Shouldn’t you still be in bed?” Her tone is irritated, but there’s an undercut of worry.  
  
“Also probably true, but you know I hate staying still,” She deflects and Kei’tlya resists the urge to point out that no, she doesn’t, she barely knows her sister at all. Riv’aria likely does not need a reminder of all the reasons they’re practically strangers. “But we’re not talking about me, little sister, we’re talking about your poor management skills.”  
  
Kei’tlya flinches at the term ‘little sister’ and Riv’aria’s eyes track the movement.  
  
“I don’t know if I can do this.” She finally mutters and Riv’aria’s face adapts an expression of dubious incredulity.  
  
“You don’t think you can do this? You? Darth Imperius, the former face of the rising Imperial-”  
  
Kei’tlya cuts her off before she can finish with a dirty look. “Not the,” she waves her hand wildly toward the base behind them, “leading this alliance thing.”  
  
Riv’aria tilts her head, waiting for clarification that doesn’t seem to be forthcoming. “What then?”  
  
“Him,” Kei’tlya’s voice is filled with disgust as she glances at the empty space to her right. Her sister doesn’t have to try and guess who she means.  
  
“He giving you more trouble?” Kei’tlya shakes her head halfheartedly.  
  
“No, he’s just…getting on my nerves. Going on and on about Arcann and how I’ll regret not killing him and Senya and all sorts of bullshit.”  
  
A storm cloud crosses Riv’aria’s face and Kei’tlya winces. “ _Should’ve known better than to bring Arcann up,”_ She mentally chides herself.  
  
“I hate to agree with Emperor Dicksack, but-”  
  
“Ari!”  
  
“What?!” She says unapologetically. “He’s a bastard and a shithead and a monster and I will call him names all I damn well want!” She glares at Kei’tlya, who immediately retreats.  
  
“I didn’t mean…not about the name calling…just…” Her voice steadily gets quieter and quieter and Riv’aria’s face twists.  
  
“Hey, I like Senya, you know I do. And if nothing else, I respect her drive to do everything she can to help her children.” Kei’tlya, face buried in her hands, snorts angrily and Riv’aria’s agreement is plain on her face. “But,” she continues, “Some people can’t be saved and some people don’t deserve second chances.”  
  
Kei’tlya mumbles something into her hands and Riv’aria tilts her head. “Didn’t catch that, Kei, sorry.”  
  
“I said,” Kei’tlya looks up. “Anyone who grew up with **him** as their parent deserves a second chance.”  
  
“So you’re saying that on the basis of his father having been worse than our mother…several times over, the galactic dictator of throwing temper tantrums deserves the chance to do it all over again?” Riv’aria cocks an eyebrow at her sister sarcastically.  
  
“If not for Ikra or even Khem….I almost went down a dark path myself, I could’ve-”  
  
“Oh please Kei. I’ve heard some stories from what’s his face, Talos, and you were a long way off from some of the shit Arcann’s done, even then.”  
  
“Still…”  
  
Sensing Kei’tlya won’t be shaken on this and that pursuing the argument in this manner will end poorly, Riv’aria changes tactics. “I mean, say you’re right and all Arcann needs is an outstretched hand or two and he’ll change his ways; how do you justify any decision to take him at his word to the Alliance.”  
  
Kei’tlya sighs long and deep. “I don’t know, but if Senya’s right, I _want_ to help him.”  
  
“Of course you do.” Riv’aria mutters and Kei’tlya laughs briefly. “Some days, I think I’d make a better Sith than you. Your faith in people’s base nature is practically Jedi-like.”  
  
A sneer crosses her sister’s face and it’s Riv’aria’s turn to chuckle. “I have no faith in people. Expect the worst and you can never be disappointed.”  
  
“So then why do you trust Senya?” Riv’aria asks and Kei’tlya huffs.  
  
“I’m getting there, Ari! It’s just…hard to articulate.” She shrugs and Kei’tlya’s eyes narrow. “Arcann’s far from matching his father’s depravity and if he wants to atone, I will do what I can to help.”  
  
“So Vitiate’s where you draw the line?”  
  
“Yes!” Kei’tlya’s eyes are flashing and the faint smell of ozone lingers in the air and Riv’aria decides to just drop it.  
  
“I trust your judgement, Kei. If that’s what you decide to do, I won’t undermine you.”  
  
Caught off guard by the sudden shift, Kei’tlya sits blinking for a minute. When she does speak again, her voice is subdued. “I think if not for Valkorion’s presence, I could’ve talked Arcann down a long time ago. Anything that comes out of my mouth, he assumes to be another trap set by his father and I…understand why he’s so afraid.”  
  
Riv’aria looks away. “Arcann? Afraid? What gives you that impression?”  
  
“I can smell it on him. I could from the first time we met.” Skeptical, Riv’aria glances back at Kei’tlya. “Okay, that sounded better in my head.” She admits and Riv’aria throws back her head and laughs.  
  
“I take back anything I ever said about you being a terrible Sith, that is the most stereotypically Sith thing I’ve heard in years.” Kei’tlya shakes her head ruefully, but doesn’t try to contest it. “Next thing I know, you’ll be referring to the whole shitcan mess as you having eaten him.”  
  
Kei’tlya suddenly finds the grass around her feet remarkably fascinating and Riv’aria groans. “Please tell me you haven’t called it-”  
  
“In my defense!” Kei’tlya interrupts, cheeks colored. “Ikra started it!”  
  
“Nox?” A puzzled expression crosses Riv’aria’s face. “How did Nox start it?”  
  
“Not with…Vitiate. When I first learned how to bind the dead, Ikra referred to it as eating them and the term…kind of stuck?”  
  
“Right, creepy Sith spirits aren’t anything new for you.” Riv’aria says, shaking her head. “You know, I’d almost forgotten about hearing about that fiasco.”  
  
“Fiasco’s one word for it.” Kei’tlya snorts. “I personally prefer “Clusterfuck of Terrible Decisions”.”  
  
Riv’aria laughs, “Yeah, even the redacted version gave off that air.” She pauses, struck by a thought. “I take back what I said about trusting your judgement, you thought making deals with multiple Sith ghosts wouldn’t backfire horribly.”  
  
Kei’tlya laughs softly, rolling her eyes. “Ikra and Jula made fun of me for ages over that. In fact, they were still giving me shit when-” She stops abruptly and closes her eyes.  
  
Riv’aria watches her for a moment, then wraps her arm around Kei’tlya’s shoulder. In response, she holds her breath for another moment, and then leans into the embrace.  
  
“You have no idea where either of them might’ve ended up?” Riv’aria finally asks and feels Kei’tlya shake her head.  
  
“If they even survived Zakuul.” She mutters and Riv’aria moves her arms away from her to scratch her neck before returning it to the same position.  
  
Kei’tlya tracks the movement thoughtfully. “No prosthetic today?” She finally asks and Riv’aria shakes her head.  
  
“I’m not supposed to wear it too much until I’m fully healed. “ She says, frustration clear in her voice and for a second, Kei’tlya thinks she has succeeded. Then her sister shakes her head and looks back at her. “But stop trying to change the subject!”  
  
“I don’t know, okay?!” Kei’tlya finally blurts out. “I can sense them both, I know they’re alive, but Ikra’s so sealed off I can’t do any more and Jula’s not much better! And unless they’ve taken up crouching under a rock on some deserted moon, there’s no way they don’t know I’m alive and free, so they clearly don’t want to see me! And I can’t sense Khem At. All. and I’m afraid of what means and I think-” Kei’tlya’s voice rises to a pitch until she’s pulled away and yelling at Riv’aria, but her voice cracks and she bursts into tears, falling back against her sister.  
  
Surprised, Riv’aria reels for a moment, then pulls Kei’tlya against her chest. “Sorry Kei.” She whispers into her sister’s hair once the worst of her shudders pass. Kei’tlya just sniffs. “Nox had a thing with Marr, didn’t she? She seemed the kind to completely retreat from the galaxy after…that.”  
  
“Probably,” Kei’tlya mutters into Riv’aria’s shirt. “She never handled loss well.”  
  
“And you and Marr at the same time, for all intents and purposes. I’m sure she just hasn’t heard specifics about the Alliance and doesn’t care to.”  
  
“That sounds like her.” Riv’aria thinks she hears her sister say and smiles briefly.  
  
“And wherever Occlus is, I’m sure she’s fine. That woman is terrifying.”  
  
Kei’tlya sits up and shakes herself out. “She was the sneaky one.” She says, starting to smile again.  
  
“So she’s probably dropped off the grid entirely to stay out of Zakuul’s way.” Riv’aria says, watching Kei’tlya’s face, seeing agreement come over it.  
  
They sit in silence for a few minutes before Riv’aria breaks it again. “I’ve got nothing for Khem, sorry. But it would take a lot to drop him, I can say that much.”  
  
Kei’tlya doesn’t respond and when Riv’aria looks over, her eyes are distant. “Eh, it’s fine.” She finally mutters, voice subdued. “I’m pretty sure Khem never liked me much anyway, so I’m sure he jumped at the chance to be rid of me.”  
  
“Are you serious?” Kei’tlya’s confused look confirms that she is, in fact, serious, and Riv’aria’s eyes widen. “Oh come on Kei, that Dashade practically worshipped the ground you walked on, at least he did when I met him.  
  
Kei’tlya snorts. “That has got to be an overstatement.”  
  
“Maybe a little,” Riv’aria admits, “But I’m fairly certain he would’ve torn the Spire apart to get to you if Lana had been able to find him, so there’s that.”  
  
“But she wasn’t.” Kei’tlya isn’t quite sulking, but she’s not far from it and Riv’aria narrows her eyes.  
  
“Don’t make me start hitting you again. Because I will!” This startles a laugh out of Kei’tlya and her sister briefly looks pleased with herself.  
  
Before Riv’aria can make good on her threat, however, an agitated-looking Cathar rounds the large boulder between where the two sisters have been sitting and the Alliance base. Upon noticing him, Riv’aria jumps and Kei’tlya turns to see what she’s looking at. When **she** sees the Cathar, her face locks up and Riv’aria sighs beside her, but can’t hold it against him.  
  
“I’d ask what you were doing out here, but I’m fairly certain I know the answer to that already,” He sighs and Kei’tlya shrugs.  
  
“Don’t look at me, Jorgan.” She says. “I was minding my own business out here.”  
  
“Traitor.” Riv’aria hisses, but gets up to follow her husband back to the medical wing.  
  
Before she goes, she stops and hugs her sister tightly. Kei’tlya tenses, but leans into it and nods at Jorgan as he hovers over Riv’aria.  
  
Alone again, Kei’tlya turns back to watching the now dark sky. She half expects the telltale shimmer of a Force ghost to appear beside her and is pleasantly surprised when the silence stretches on. Before too long, she stands up and follows Aric and Riv’aria back into the base, but heads instead to the war room.  
  
The base is quiet, most of the exhausted soldiers from the all too recent battle having turned in early, but she spies a green-skinned twi’lek poking at one of the consoles tiredly.  
  
The ex-Jedi turns to look at Kei’tlya as she enters the room and tilts her head.  
  
“You’re up late, Fellil.” She says and the other woman laughs.  
  
“I could say the same of you, Kei’tlya.”  
  
“Fair enough.” Kei’tlya shrugs and walks over to where Fellil is standing. “What are you doing anyway?”  
  
“Just couldn’t sleep, I guess.” Fellil is on edge and Kei’tlya knows it’s at least partially due to the ever-present sense of Vitiate lingering around herself. She turns to leave, not wanting to make Fellil any more uncomfortable than she has to, but is called back before she can get far.  
  
“How’s Riv’aria doing? I haven’t had a chance to speak to her since I returned.” She asks and Kei’tlya pauses.

“Better, definitely. Her energy’s starting to return.”  
  
Fellil laughs. “I imagine Jorgan will have a hard time getting her to continue resting now if she can get up and start wandering the base.”  
  
“I don’t envy him the task, that’s for sure.” Kei’tlya snickers, omitting the fact that she’ll definitely be helping him in it for the next few weeks. Fellil is watching her thoughtfully and she shifts nervously. “Was there…something else you needed?” She ventures.  
  
After a moment, Fellil shakes her head. “No, don’t let me keep you, Commander.”  
  
Kei’tlya nods and turns back down the hallway. Upon reaching the door to her quarter, she pauses and stares forward. Curiously, she reaches out through the Force. Her bond with Khem is still silent and Julasa is muted, but from Ikraaka she senses churning emotions. After a moment’s hesitation, she reaches further.  
  
From across the bond, a wave of astonishment washes over her. Seconds later, a host of emotions slam into her and she staggers. Shock and joy dance in equal measure in her head and she falls back against the wall.  
  
Ikraaka’s presence draws back and Kei’tlya senses she’s waiting for a response. Faint sensations of worry flicker in her mind.  
  
As she slides down to sit on the floor, she projects confusion. She can feel Ikraaka hesitate before an overwhelming sense of loss slides into place. The feeling of a shattered bond cascades over her and she almost retches from the pain of it.  
  
The feeling retreats almost immediately upon arrival, but still leaves her trembling. Ikraaka’s message is clear. “I couldn’t handle; I didn’t even realize your bond wasn’t broken too.”  
  
Kei’tlya doesn’t know how long she sits there, soaking in Ikraaka’s attention, but when she eventually retreats, whispering an apology accompanied by a wave of increased exhaustion, Kei’tlya can see light beginning to shine down the hallway.  
  
From the deepest reaches of her subconscious, she feels an unfamiliar bond twinge and frowns in confusion. It doesn’t feel like one of Vitiate’s usual games, she thinks as she pushes off the wall and finally heads into her quarters. Still…there was something deeply familiar about the presence.

**Author's Note:**

> *screaming*
> 
> It was supposed to be just a rambling about Kei's reasons for letting Arcann go (spoiler: she doesn't really have a concise one, to Ari's annoyance), but it got longer and then there was a hint of plot. I probably won't continue it, but I might if I feel the urge.
> 
> ALSO: Ikraaka is Darth Nox, Julasa is Darth Occlus, Kei'tlya is Darth Imperius (and the canon Sith Inquisitor). Riv'aria is the the trooper and Kei'tlya's twin sister (they were seperated at a young age). She was imprisoned by Zakuul during their invasion and at this point in time was only recently rescued by the Alliance. Fellil('qaellia) is the Jedi Knight.


End file.
